Defensive work paying off says Yeandle

Hooker Jack Yeandle praised the defensive qualities of the Exeter Chiefs as they consolidated fourth place in the Aviva Premiership table with victory at Sale Sharks.

The Devon club made it five wins in six games in the top flight last Friday as Gareth Steenson's 18-point haul with the boot guided his side to a narrow 18-16 victory at the AJ Bell Stadium.

However, it was not just Steenson's lethal kicking which ensured victory for Rob Baxter's side - it was in defence where the visitors were equally as strong, repelling a strong second half display from the Sharks, who had trailed 15-6 at the break.

Three yellow cards in the opening 40 minutes did little to help Sale's cause, but even with a full compliment of players during the second half, it took until the very last minute for the home side to finally get over the whitewash through winger Mark Cueto.

Afterwards, Yeandle - now into his second season with the Chiefs - saluted Exeter's defensive resolve. He said: “Sale had plenty of opportunities, but we nullified a lot of what they did just with a solid defence. It has been a big work-on for us this season and it is starting to pay off well.

“We are holding teams out, we are trying to keep our opponents to minimal points, and then we don’t have to score so many to beat them. It is a simple game plan and it seems to be working.”

Not for the first time this season, the Chiefs happily went about their work without too much fuss, whilst their disciplined approach was in mark contrast to their rivals who consistently fell foul of referee Wayne Barnes.

“It is easier to play with 15 men on the field,” added the 23-year-old from Crediton. “Sale infringed a few times at the breakdown, and part of our defensive system is that there is no need to infringe. Just make your tackles, get on your feet and look for the next job, and it worked well.”

Exeter's latest win over the Sharks not only ensured they headed into the latest league break safely positioned in the division's top four, but also avenged last season's disappointing 21-16 loss to the Sharks.

“We did speak about it at half-time that last year we thought the game was done and we let it slip away, and it is a long old journey back home to think about it, but we kept our foot on the gas and went home with a win,” said Yeandle.

Exeter have come through a nine-game block of Premiership and Heineken Cup action in fine fashion, sitting fourth in the league table and top of their Heineken Cup pool.

Their next two Premiership games are against top three sides Saracens at home and Bath away, but before that their frontline players can take a bit of a breather as the next two weekends see the Chiefs tackle their opening two fixtures in this season’s LV= Cup, with Harlequins at home followed by a trip to Bath.

“It is a big block of games we have come through, and the Leicester game was a bit of a turning point for us,” said Yeandle. “We let ourselves down, but we have stepped it up since then, and turned things around and it has paid off.

“We have got the wins and put in some decent performances, and hopefully they can roll on through into the LV= Cup now. I was lucky that I got a run of games in the LV= Cup last year, and I progressed on from that, and there are a lot of boys who are chomping at the bit.

“You can tell in training that they are ready to play, and there are so many decent players in all of the positions throughout the team that we will have a strong line-up against Harlequins on Saturday. We have got such strength in depth. There is plenty of competition for shirts at the moment, and I wouldn’t want to have to pick the team. It must be a bit of a headache.”